At The Gates guitarist Anders Björler quits

Guitarist Anders Björler quits At The Gates saying “the passion is just gone”

Guitarist Anders Björler has confirmed that he’s quit At The Gates.

He co-founded the band in 1990 with his bassist brother Jonas, but says he’s decided to leave now as “the passion is just gone.”

Björler says in a statement: “Just a quick note to let everybody know that I am leaving At The Gates permanently. The passion is just gone. There might be a more lengthy statement in the future, but at the moment I feel no need to explain further.

“This is a personal decision and it has 100% to do with the music side of things. The reunion in 2008, and the subsequent tours, as well as the comeback album At War With Reality, really helped revisiting our friendship, and it brought us together in a way I will always remember and cherish.

“I would also like to thank all the people that supported us throughout the reunion shows as well as the At War With Reality album.”

At The Gates say in their own statement: “So, it is now official that Anders Björler is no longer a part of At The Gates. He will always be part of the At The Gates family, of course, but he will no longer write, record or play with us live.

“This is something that we, the rest of the band, have felt was on its way for quite some time, as that special spark was no longer with him the last year.

“We are grateful for all we have experienced together with him, all the records, all the songs, all the gigs, all the laughs and good times.”

They confirm that auditions are now taking place to find Björler's replacement – and confirm that work on their new album is now underway.

At The Gates add: “We already have three songs written, and the direction is set for an intense, hungry follow-up album. Jonas has always written a considerable part of the bands' material and we are fully confident that the new material will live up to the standards set by our previous records. It is ripping.

“The four of us still have the burning urge to create death metal together, and we love playing live in front of our fans, so we will go on, with an even stronger intent.”